MAHAN AIR: هواپیمایی ماهان
Established in 1991, this is Iran's first private airline. Apart from the usual plethora of domestic services -to, from and between 24 Iranian airports- Mahan Air operates a rather impressive, let alone exotic network to around 20 international destinations from home base airports such as Tehran, Mashhad, Shiraz, and the bunch. Of course, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, and even Phuket are on the list!

Just like any private sector entity, Mahan Air adopts more emphasis on its commercial mandate, and its seemingly strong brand and relatively upbeat marketing are testament to this. For instance, the bold appearance of their logo will not go unnoticed on any type of collateral -lounge invitation, pop-ups, backdrops etc- and quirky taglines such as 'More Mahan to Shanghai' can surely draw one's attention to this airline. There's definitely some modern thought put into all this, and it certainly has caught my attention.

But just like all other Iranian air transport operators, Mahan Air is also a victim of the political sanction policy. Close to impossible aircraft acquisition procedures are a major obstacle, yet Mahan Air seems to find a way with its relatively middle aged fleet. Providing fuel at airports is another issue, but somehow somewhere there seems to be a way around it too. Such things only mean that you'd have to try a little harder, and in the Iranian world, this seems to be effortless.

Today I have the opportunity to board a couple of Mahan Air flights. What was initially a simple connection to/from Dubai after my Iran Air SP flights, lead to a big surprise in the end that almost gave me a heart attack (in a good way). A positive equipment change towards the end quickly changed the status from 'No TR' to 'Hell yes TR', and with what pictures I have today I will try to share the experience as positively as possible.

As with the earlier Iranian twin Trip Report, I am joined on this trip by Sam Chui and SR103. At first, Mahan's intention was simply to transport the three of us, but towards the end, only two of us got a little More Mahan …

Note:
All pictures and videos from this point forward belong respectively to the three of us, Sam Chui, SR103, and myself. Whether they’re good or bad quality, they are still copyrighted to us. No need to specifically identify them, but at least Sam’s pictures can be easily distinguished from the rest!

B A C K G R O U N D
Continuing on from my previous Trip Report on Iran Air's SP, this story is somewhat linked to it since Mahan Air was the transporting carrier to and from Dubai. Once the SP trip was finalized, there was no doubt that Mahan Air was to be the choice for the connecting sector. The flight to Dubai offered only a three hour transit at Tehran as opposed to something like Emirates which departed at least seven to eight hours later; needless to say that was justification enough!

As such, a trip to Mahan's GSA in Dubai was in order. Keep in mind, this is airline is not part of any GDS hence, in the UAE Jahan Destinations is more or less the only point of sale for any Mahan destination!

Jahan Destinations

While Jahan's services seemed to extend to tours, packages, and flights to any destination worldwide, their prime niche is to offer a selling arm for Mahan Air in the UAE. This is felt by the general theme and branding -minus the SQ Krissy lookalikes- that is boldly slapped all over the office. Whilst inside, we were attended to almost immediately, and our tickets were issued within 30 minutes. And that was it!

As with the previous report, Sam Chui joins me on the first part of this journey to Dubai, and SR103 tags along for the second part from Dubai to Tehran.

TEHRAN DEPARTURE
Arriving on Iran Air from Kuala Lumpur 30 minutes ahead of schedule at 4pm, we had exactly four hours to kill before our Mahan connection to Dubai. This meant that we only had to 'transit' for about an hour and a half before we were allowed into the departures hall with our boarding passes.

As described previously, the Tehran transit involves a 4-chair seating area and not much else. The carrier bringing you into Tehran will be responsible for checking you into your connecting flight regardless of the airline. This also involves handing over your documents -passports included- and waiting until someone returns with your boarding pass. We luckily found an Iran Air agent just as we had arrived, and he took our documents and disappeared.

Whilst we waited, a young gentleman had arrived on a Dubai flight and was apparently having issues with getting into Iran. His hand was chopped off, and he looked a little rough around the edges. Furthermore, there seemed to have been a language barrier between him -who only speaks Arabic- and the Iran Air agent who obviously did not speak Arabic. So who had to come in between them to translate? Yep, that's right, me!

It turned out he was a Jordanian passport holder trying to enter Iran for medical purposes and that his doctor, who was based in Shiraz, had assured him that he was able to get his visa on arrival. Of course that wasn't going to happen anytime soon so I had to spend about 30 minutes trying to get him and the Iran Air agent to come to terms for at least a simple solution; either buy a ticket back to Dubai, or stay in the transit hotel for 24 hours in hopes that the mysterious unreachable doctor in Shiraz was located. Not only was this guy's story so dodgy, but out of all the nationalities out there, he had to be Jordanian just around the time I was there!

In any case, Sam and I decided to discreetly pull ourselves away from this scene, but to our luck, our boarding passes had arrived just in the nick of time. We offered the gentleman a few bottles of water, then we grabbed our stuff and busted a move to the departures area.

Boarding pass & lounge card

One of my favorite lounge cards

Airside at IKA

We proceeded to the premium lounge -the only one housing all airlines here- which was located one level below the main departures. A friendly agent at the reception welcomed us inside after collecting our lounge cards. Over here is where our remaining time was spent between snacks, smokes, coffees, and naps.

It really is a comfortable lounge

Some scenery outside

Our SP going to Beijing

At around 7:30pm an announcement was made in the lounge calling for passengers on Mahan Air 065 to Dubai to proceed to Gate 14 for boarding. This was our cue, when we collected our things and headed out back to the departures area.

Gates 11-14 are located in Boarding Hall A. The green light flashing for Gate 14 was the signal that we could proceed through the security checkpoint for boarding. It may be an old fashioned mechanism, but it was rather quirky and at least helped reduce congestion at the singular security screening area housing those four gates.

Gate 14 is green

At the gate, several Mahan Air agents were manning the boarding process which had already begun when we had arrived. This time around, there was no delay and Mahan was being extremely efficient trying to get us all on the aircraft for an on-time departure.

Gate 14

At the podium, two friendly agents quickly took our documents and processed our way through. Our boarding pass stubs were handed back with a smile and we were wished a pleasant flight before heading towards the aerobridge.

Our Mahan to Dubai

Inside the aerobridge, Sam and I -initially tired and not in the mood- looked at each other as the excitement regained its control on us. It never seems to fail, your parents could have been murdered an hour ago, but if you are just boarding a flight -regardless of what it is- there's always that distracting happy feeling that seems to take over.

At Door 1L of the aircraft, a very firm looking male purser was in the lead for the welcome. Seeing us chirping our ways towards the aircraft, he did not seem too comfortable for some reason; maybe he sensed we were going to take pictures or something? Who knows.

Making our ways through the forward galley and towards our seat, we pass through a flurry of beautiful Mahan Air cabin crew actively preparing things in the galley. All of them make an effort to smile and welcome us on board, and one of them even showed us to our seats. They were all young, so beautiful, and so nicely dressed that I could not keep my eyes off them at all times. At this initial contact, Mahan Air had already made its impression on me, and from this point forward I knew that the experience was going to be very positive.

The seat

The seats were exactly like Lufthansa's older generation Business Class offer. But, the fresh grey leather covering made what once was a messy looking seat on Lufthansa, seem so much nicer on Mahan Air. Ample legroom and comfortable padding were more than enough for this short flight, and the feature of a leg/foot rest can be just enough for those longer hops to Bangkok/KUL.

Leg space

The cabin

A spotless clean cabin, coupled with top-notch LCD-like screens flashing high quality scenery of Mahan Air and Iran makes this experience all the more hypnotic. I was expecting a 16 year old cabin to match the age of this aircraft, but I am now looking at something much more up to speed. When my expectations are exceeded, the experience becomes more jaw-dropping, and that keeps me entertained for the entire flight.

Overhead monitors

As we settle in, the gorgeous Mahan girls float like fairies in the cabin with welcome drinks and hot towels. The service is conducted quickly, and in a very professional manner.

"Welcome on board. Would you like something to drink?"
"I have Pineapple, Orange, Grape juice, and water"
"Pineapple and Grape for us please"
"Enjoy"

Pineapple for me

Grape for Sam

Hot towels on a nice looking glass holder

Seconds were offered on the drinks -in which we declined- and menus were also distributed.

"This is the menu for the flight"
"Thank you"
"Welcome. Are you going to Dubai for holiday?"
"No, I am going back home"
"Oh you are not Iranian?"
"No. I am Jordanian"
"Ah ok. That's why you don't speak Farsi"
"Please enjoy. If you need anything just let us know"
"Thank you"

Mahan Air offers menus!

Survey

At 7:55pm, doors were closed, seatbelt sign was switched on, and an announcement was made to welcome us on board and brief us on the usual pre-takeoff safety requirements. Our flight time to Dubai tonight was to be 2 hours and 5 minutes.

At exactly 8pm -spot on the scheduled departure time- we pushed back, engines ignited, and began our taxi to the active runway. A safety video was played on the overhead monitors and surprisingly, this was followed by a view from the nose camera.

Lining up for takeoff

We thundered, humped, dumped, and thumped down the runway and at 8:15pm we were airborne and off to Dubai. The sun had fully set by then, and Tehran was beginning to gradually fall asleep for the night.

Takeoff

At cruising altitude, the seatbelt sign was switched off, and the crew was released to prepare for the dinner service.

Meanwhile, the flat screen TVs were also powered on and a Mahan Air corporate-like video was played throughout the flight. With a background of hypnotic Arabesque type of music, the video showed a strong emphasis on the Mahan brand. Mahan aircraft, Mahan destinations, Mahan logo, Mahan cabin crew, everything and anything had to be Mahan. The video was of very good quality, and it drew my attention like a little spell. I could not stop watching and the more I watched, the more I liked what I was seeing.

Mahan IFE

Soon enough, the beautiful Mahan girls rolled out the curtains and appeared in the aisles with the dinner trolleys. There were two sets of two girls on each aisle with a trolley neatly stacked with drinks, trays, and even decorative flowers.

Dinner service

At our turn, our trays were promptly placed on our tables. Each tray was neatly set up with a bread plate, salad, dressing, starter, butter, cream cheese, dessert, salt/pepper shakers, silverware, and a decorative flower. The presentation was immaculate and can outdo many of today's top airlines. Bread was also offered from a basket as soon as our trays were served.

Meal tray

"Would you like anything to drink?"
"Do you like yoghurt?"
"Oh my God, you have doogh??"
"Yes! You know doogh?"
"I love it! can I have that please?"
"Of course"

Here I was traveling on Iranian airlines, and transiting through Iranian proper and I had completely forgotten about doogh! It is a slightly sour yoghurt drink with mint, and as a huge yoghurt lover, I am also a big fan of this drink. I wished I remembered to have it on Iran Air, but I suppose it wasn't too late to have it here on Mahan.

Doogh

Salad and bread

The bread was soft and was heated properly, and the salad was -as with all Iranian vegetation- farm fresh, cold, and crunchy. The starter also looked freshly prepared, and it consisted of a Moroccan salad -presumably chicken- with a beef/cheese open-face sandwich with baby corn, sliced peppers, olives, and a carrot slice for decoration. That too, was very tasty!

Starter

Our starter plates were promptly collected once we were through, and the mains were served shortly afterwards. Both of us selected he chicken, which was a simple chicken kabab dish that came with lemon butter sauce and the infamous saffron rice.

Main course

Mahan Air is definitely more commercial with its meals, unlike Iran Air. While portions are adequate here, the quantity is definitely controlled but certainly at no cost of quality and presentation. As such, the chicken main course was reasonable in size, and was absolutely amazing in quality. The piping hot cubes of chicken blended perfectly with the lemon butter sauce, and there's no better thing than saffron rice to accompany this.

At dessert, a lot of airlines seem to drop the ball in hopes that the small portion of it can go unnoticed in terms of taste. But at Mahan Air, the lemon coconut layered cake on offer today was moist and creamy. Not sure if this is just my excitement, but everything really did taste great so far!

Dessert

The trays were then collected, and a coffee/tea service was conducted to conclude the dinner service. I needed to start winding down, while Sam still had a bus ride back to Abu Dhabi and as such, I declined on the offer while he opted for a cup of tea.

Tea

I had fallen asleep for a very short while after dinner, but apparently Sam had gone to the galley to chat with the crew. All I did notice was Sam returning back from there with a cat-walk of Mahan Air girls trailing behind him giggling and chirping. Not sure what he's done, but it worked and we all spent a good while during the flight chatting.

Mahan Air crew (credit here definitely goes to Sam!)

The purser kept watching us from a distance, and he definitely seemed a little uncomfortable with the bubbly behavior. However, we did not do anything illegal so we were allowed -within some limits- to carry on.

The rest of the flight was uneventful and it was soon approaching the arrival time. At 9:20pm local time in Dubai, the seatbelt sign was switched on and an announcement was made that we had commenced our descent towards Dubai International Airport.

DUBAI ARRIVAL
At 9:50pm, we touched down on UAE soil, and just like that our flight had come to an abrupt end. It felt like I was gone for weeks when it just hit me that I was only away for the weekend. The next day I was to resume duty at work as normal, and just like nothing had ever happened. Gotta love those weekend escapes!

The crew sincerely bid us farewell, and we then left the aircraft for Dubai. At this stage I parted ways with Sam who still had to head back to Abu Dhabi, whereas I still had my connecting flight back to Bahrain.

DUBAI DEPARTURE
Some months later, it was reaching the end of Ramadan and the start of the Eid al Fitr celebrations. This can mean a lot of things ranging from people celebrating this special occasion, to people traveling for the long holiday, and also airlines deploying higher capacity aircraft to meet high demands on certain days.

During such periods, Mahan Air is known to send their B747-300 to Dubai and it was only normal that I would silently hope that it happened this time.

The night before departure, I caught up with SR103 at Dubai International Airport. Instead of going to the city, we decided to try out something a little less usual, and that is to stay the night in transit at the airport transit hotel. However, my hopes for the Mahan jumbo had been overshadowed -for some reason- when I saw the late evening Mahan service pull an AB6 into the gate. Maybe there's better use for that jumbo elsewhere I thought, and I just assumed the next day's service would be just the same.

At around 10am on the day of departure, we had left the hotel and headed straight to the transit desks of Dubai International Airport. Going down the escalators, I spotted a Mahan aircraft already pulled at the gate; presumably the flight from Tehran had already arrived. I took little notice to two engines on one wing and for some reason my mind had me convinced that it may be an A380 parked next to it. Looking again, I spot the little hump over the nose but still it did not register. Only after suddenly looking back and noticing this huge B747-300 with 'MAHAN AIR' slapped right on it did my heart begin to beat so fast.

It may not be much to some, but a small silent wish I made had been promptly answered by Mahan Air and that made me all the more happy. This was my little thing, and for once it is now a reality thanks to Mahan Air.

Jackpot!

At the transit desk we approach a rather unbothered Dnata agent who definitely wanted to get his day over with as quick as possible. He begins to process our ways through, and in fact SR103's boarding pass is all done and dusted within minutes.

Then it was my turn.

"Do you have a visa for Iran?"
"No. I will be in transit only as I have a connecting flight to Kuala Lumpur"
"But a Jordanian passport requires a visa to enter Malaysia, and also Iran sir."
"I have another passport, and I will be using that to enter Malaysia"

He made a phone call to the Mahan Air station manager, and informed him of the situation. Up until this time, I had completely refrained from showing my US passport, assuming that the process would be similar to how it was when I departed Kuala Lumpur.

But unfortunately, things took a dive for the absolute worst at this point. The unhelpful agent handed me the phone to speak to the Mahan Air agent who absolutely refused to let me in on the flight.

"Sir we will not take any responsibility to carry you without any visa. I am sorry"
"But…"*click*

With this direction, the agent took back SR103's boarding pass, handed back our passports and simply offloaded us from the flight. Here I was at Dubai International Airport, with a B747-300 parked right outside waiting to take me, yet this idiot was ripping our boarding passes apart and trashing them in the bin under his desk. I wasn't going to take this lying down.

After some yelling, screaming, and sweating relentlessly, he finally brushed me away -with all my fuming anger- by suggesting that we go down to the gate and have a word with the Mahan Air staff who would be in more of a position to help.

Arriving at Gate 117, I was still shaking with anger but I had to keep my cool in hopes these people can help us out. An Iranian Dnata agent takes to our turn and I explain the situation to her all over again.

"We have been offloaded from the flight because the agent thinks I need a transit visa for Iran"
"May I see your passport sir?"
"Here you go"
"But sir, this is a Jordanian passport and the problem is you need a visa to enter Malaysia"
"I have another passport that doesn't need a visa"
"Where is it?"
"I don't know if I need to show it to you?"
"Why?"

I flashed out my US passport to her, and then everything changed again.

"Ahhh sir you should have informed us!"
"Sorry, how can I?"
"Haha yes, I understand. Don't worry, we will put you back on the flight"

She then explained the situation to her colleague that she had checked my documents and that I have "another passport" to get to Malaysia. I was good to go, and our boarding passes were reprinted!

Boarding pass

FIDS

Boarding had already commenced during this fiasco, so once we got back our boarding passes we just proceeded to the gate.

I still couldn't believe it!!

At the main deck, another set of Mahan Air crew were glittering beautifully at Door 1L.

We were escorted to our seats, and were assisted with stowing away our belongings. As my carry on would not fit in the overhead screen, I was allowed to stow it alongside the crew luggage behind the center aisle seats.

The cabin was just as good as it was on the previous flight from Tehran. Flat screen TVs were flashing that hypnotic video again, and we were instantly made comfortable rather quick. Again, the 26 year old aircraft was showing a cabin looking much younger and kudos to Mahan Air for keeping the standards rather high.

The seat

Leg space

Seat controls

The seat on this aircraft offered the exact same comfort and amenities as on the AB6, but minus the foot/leg rest. I would assume this aircraft is mainly used to cater for random high demand periods and wouldn’t necessary be deployed regularly on Mahan's long-haul flights. But nevertheless, it is only expected that an airline with such high standards to maintain it so with the seat offering as well. But, for the short flight today, this offering is exceptionally comfortable with adequate leg space.

As we settled down, the crew was at our seat with a tray of welcome drinks and hot towels.

"Would like some juice to drink?"
"Orange, Lemon, Grape, and water"
"Lemonade and Grape for us please"

Welcome drinks

Hot towels

Menu

Enjoying the scenery during boarding

The seatbelt sign was switched on, and the doors were closed at around noon. An announcement was then made in both Farsi and English to welcome us on board, and to advise us that our flight time to Tehran was to be approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes.

Seatbelt sign on

Mahan's video continues right before the safety demo

We pushed back at 12:05pm, and we began our medium-haul taxi towards the runway. After the safety video was played on the overhead screen, the nose camera was powered on for a full view of the taxi and takeoff.

Lining up at the runway

Takeoff was a bit of a drag, and it actually felt like the aircraft was out of power when we lifted off. It felt a little strange and unusual, but when we gained momentum, everything stabilized. At 12:30pm, we were airborne and on our way to Tehran.

At cruising altitude, the seatbelt sign was switched off and the crew was released for the lunch service.

Cabin after takeoff

And I continued to enjoy those windows

Lunch was quickly served, and that commenced when the crew distributed the meal trays to us. As with the previous flight, the trays today are of the same quality and are neatly set up with the usual amenities that also include the starter plate, salad, dessert, and the typical accompaniments.

SR103s meal tray

My meal tray

Water and cola to drink

The starter today included a serving of cold stuffed vine leaves -my favorite dish!- which was accompanied by pickled cauliflowers, cherry tomato, shredded green beans, and olives. The vine leaves were of excellent quality, and were not too oily nor sour.

My starter

SR103s starter

Our starter plates were promptly cleared once we were through, and our mains were eventually served. I had selected the Beef and chicken dish, whilst SR103 opted for the fish.

My main course

SR103s

My dish came with cubed potatoes and vegetables and while I wasn't sure what it really was, it could easily go either way, western or eastern. It was a bit too oily to my liking, but luckily all the oil was at the bottom of the dish so I was able to leave it behind. Both the chicken and the beef were very tender and everything blended well together in the whole dish. As for SR103, he seemed to have enjoyed his fish and especially his saffron rice (who wouldn't anyways!).

Dessert today included a similar type of cake to what I got on my previous flight but instead it was Mocha flavored. This too, was again very tasty and we both had no problems devouring it till the very end.

Dessert

Tea for SR103

After lunch, I asked the crew if it was possible for us to visit the upper deck. Without any hesitation, she smiled and said that she would enquire and let us know. But meanwhile, we continued to enjoy the cabin.

Cabin after lunch

Not sure why we were dipping a little

The crew returned, and asked us to follow her upstairs. She handed us over to one of the sky marshals, who seemed to be a little more relaxed on this flight. We explained to him that we wanted to see the upper deck and take a photo as it is a bit of a rare occasion to be on this jumbo. Without hesitation the marshal agreed, but he requested to see the photo afterwards.

More Mahan on the upper deck!

Back in our cabin

Engine moment

Approaching Tehran

The rest of the flight was uneventful and it was soon approaching the arrival time. At 2pm local time in Tehran, the seatbelt sign was switched on and an announcement was made that we had commenced our descent towards Imam Khomeini International Airport.

After the short taxi, we docked at a finger gate, powered out, and the seatbelt sign was switched off. As usual, all of us sprung out of our seats to deplane.

Arrival

C O N C L U S I O N
I think it is safe for me to say that Mahan Air is definitely my favorite and most preferred Iranian Airline. Don't get me wrong, Iran Air is fantastic, but there's something about Mahan Air that I found to be a little more appealing. Perhaps it was the modern vision with that touch of the older things that I could easily relate to.

Service on both of my flights was of very high standard, and so were the levels of comfort. The cabin crew were young, energetic, and very hospitable, and this was a major factor for the positive experience. With relatively old aircraft, Mahan Air -much like Iran Air- spends a great deal of effort in maintaining their cabins to standards that are high even for today. Such things are greatly appreciated, and I would most certainly choose to fly Mahan again in the near future.

This concludes my Trip Report. I hope that you have enjoyed it; your comments are always welcome!

Wow Roni! You really have had quite an adventure and we, the readers, are the true beneficiaries of your extensive travels. As always, you continue to gift us with yet another stellar TR. I very much enjoy your reports and am always interested to see where the wind takes you. Take care and I look forward to reading your next submission.

Great trip report Roni, thanks for sharing!
Sorry to hear about the VISA problem in DXB but glad you made it after all.
I haven't heard of Mahan yet, but it doens't look that bad! Very well presented meals and great service.
Aircarft doesn't look that bad either!

Hello and thank you for showing us the wonderful Iranian Hospitality of Mahan!

The very first thought of Lufthansa came to mind when I saw your seats, however, the warmth felt throughout your trip report brought be back to Mahan. And now I want Persian Food for dinner thanks to the meal photos!

Very good job as always and I truly enjoy reading your reports, so thank you!

Nice to read this report, as we don't see Mahan Air on here too often. I also flew the same B743 (EP-MND) earlier this year IKA-DXB, after arriving on the IR B74L from BOM. It is nice to get a B743 Combi, or indeed any B747 Classic these days. I still can't get enough of the IR 'SPs and am still hunting down EP-IAC which is the only one I haven't flown!

Is there anywhere in Abu Dhabi that sells W5 tickets, since I noticed you bought yours in Dubai?

Quoting ronerone (Reply 3): She then explained the situation to her colleague that she had checked my documents and that I have "another passport" to get to Malaysia. I was good to go, and our boarding passes were reprinted!

Phew, lucky everything went according to plan in the end. I'm surprised Jordanians need visas for Malaysia...is this to prevent regional refugees from flooding in?

The year 40 is usually associated with maturity, and even this is your 40th, the level of maturity in all your reports have been consistent from the very start!!! But they are getting fewer and lesser than before, except with your comeback reports with this and the Iran Air one.

Quoting ronerone (Thread starter):This is felt by the general theme and branding -minus the SQ Krissy lookalikes- that is boldly slapped all over the office.

Very Kris indeed.

Quoting ronerone (Thread starter): Not only was this guy's story so dodgy, but out of all the nationalities out there, he had to be Jordanian just around the time I was there!

Quoting ronerone (Thread starter):Meanwhile, the flat screen TVs were also powered on and a Mahan Air corporate-like video was played throughout the flight. With a background of hypnotic Arabesque type of music, the video showed a strong emphasis on the Mahan brand. Mahan aircraft, Mahan destinations, Mahan logo, Mahan cabin crew, everything and anything had to be Mahan. The video was of very good quality, and it drew my attention like a little spell. I could not stop watching and the more I watched, the more I liked what I was seeing.

Quoting ronerone (Reply 4):After the safety video was played on the overhead screen, the nose camera was powered on for a full view of the taxi and takeoff.

Those screens look like what people have at home, and watching a video of a take off except that this one is for real.

Quoting ronerone (Thread starter):Both of us selected he chicken, which was a simple chicken kabab dish that came with lemon butter sauce and the infamous saffron rice.

Looks tempting.

Quoting ronerone (Thread starter):All I did notice was Sam returning back from there with a cat-walk of Mahan Air girls trailing behind him giggling and chirping. Not sure what he's done, but it worked and we all spent a good while during the flight chatting.

Reminds me of a catwalk with Giorgio Armani and his models, and it pays off!!

Quoting ronerone (Thread starter):They were all young, so beautiful, and so nicely dressed that I could not keep my eyes off them at all times.

Very nice uniforms!!! They are so very Etihad with that grey, but that biege colour I can't put my finger on right now. Interesting that not a strand of hair is showing, except for the FA on the left. The religious aspects of the uniform are in place yet nothing rigid like the uniforms on Iran Air, which automatically carries over from the traditions on the ground.

Quoting ronerone (Thread starter):The purser kept watching us from a distance, and he definitely seemed a little uncomfortable with the bubbly behavior. However, we did not do anything illegal so we were allowed -within some limits- to carry on.

I hope they did not get into any issues.

Quoting ronerone (Reply 3):During such periods, Mahan Air is known to send their B747-300 to Dubai and it was only normal that I would silently hope that it happened this time.

Quoting ronerone (Reply 3):Only after suddenly looking back and noticing this huge B747-300 with 'MAHAN AIR' slapped right on it did my heart begin to beat so fast.

I am so happy that they sent the 747-300 for you lol

Quoting ronerone (Reply 3):With this direction, the agent took back SR103's boarding pass, handed back our passports and simply offloaded us from the flight.

Quoting ronerone (Reply 3):"We have been offloaded from the flight because the agent thinks I need a transit visa for Iran"
"May I see your passport sir?"
"Here you go"
"But sir, this is a Jordanian passport and the problem is you need a visa to enter Malaysia"
"I have another passport that doesn't need a visa"
"Where is it?"
"I don't know if I need to show it to you?"
"Why?"

I flashed out my US passport to her, and then everything changed again.

"Ahhh sir you should have informed us!"
"Sorry, how can I?"
"Haha yes, I understand. Don't worry, we will put you back on the flight"

Why didn't you just show the US passport at the start? Seems like you did nothing more but flame the aggression and mood of this agent. Visa infringements are a very serious issue for airlines. Most government fine the airlines, generally about USD 5,000 per passenger more then 5 per flight and it jumps to USD 150,000. Airlines will generally pass the fine on to the ground handler too. And for a check-in agent with Dnata three or more visa infringements and your terminated. As groundstaff in MEL I would not have accepted you either until you showed me your US passport, I would have still been polite and courteous but 'the passenger said he would be okay' is not a good enough excuse for most managers. Otherwise all illegal immigrants would simply say that.

Hello Roni!
Another top notch report. Reading your TRs is always a pleasure and a very good surprise. Mahan sure nails it when it comes to customer service, no matter the difficulties they encounter to operate normally.
Two classics absolutely well maintained make it a happy and lucky trip. Thanks again for sharing it with us.

An excellent TR as usual (must have got used to this by now for sure!!!)

Quoting ronerone (Reply 1):As such, a trip to Mahan's GSA in Dubai was in order. Keep in mind, this is airline is not part of any GDS hence, in the UAE Jahan Destinations is more or less the only point of sale for any Mahan destination!

Interesting information.

Quoting ronerone (Reply 1):It turned out he was a Jordanian passport holder trying to enter Iran for medical purposes and that his doctor, who was based in Shiraz, had assured him that he was able to get his visa on arrival. Of course that wasn't going to happen anytime soon so I had to spend about 30 minutes trying to get him and the Iran Air agent to come to terms for at least a simple solution; either buy a ticket back to Dubai, or stay in the transit hotel for 24 hours in hopes that the mysterious unreachable doctor in Shiraz was located. Not only was this guy's story so dodgy, but out of all the nationalities out there, he had to be Jordanian just around the time I was there!

How did the incoming airline allow to board him either?

Quoting ronerone (Reply 2):At this initial contact, Mahan Air had already made its impression on me, and from this point forward I knew that the experience was going to be very positive.

Quoting ronerone (Reply 2):! It is a slightly sour yoghurt drink with mint, and as a huge yoghurt lover, I am also a big fan of this drink. I wished I remembered to have it on Iran Air, but I suppose it wasn't too late to have it here on Mahan.

While I type this, I'm sipping Laban,

Quoting ronerone (Reply 3):"We have been offloaded from the flight because the agent thinks I need a transit visa for Iran"
"May I see your passport sir?"
"Here you go"
"But sir, this is a Jordanian passport and the problem is you need a visa to enter Malaysia"
"I have another passport that doesn't need a visa"
"Where is it?"
"I don't know if I need to show it to you?"
"Why?"

I flashed out my US passport to her, and then everything changed again.

Quoting RJAF (Reply 5):Well Ronerone what can I say..a truly fantastic and thorough report as usual. Iran's air transport has always baffled me on how they make amends with such tight sanctions.

Congrats on your 40th TR!

Thanks RJAF!

Quoting caleb1 (Reply 6):Wow Roni! You really have had quite an adventure and we, the readers, are the true beneficiaries of your extensive travels. As always, you continue to gift us with yet another stellar TR. I very much enjoy your reports and am always interested to see where the wind takes you. Take care and I look forward to reading your next submission.

I would have to lean more towards Mahan Air. They are just closer to what i am used to and what i grew up with. But, in terms of classic charm and a blast from the past, Iran Air definitely has this more!

Quoting mcogator (Reply 8):Wall mounted LED tvs like its someones home. Never seen anything like that before in an airplane.

Quoting MHTripple7 (Reply 9):Do you happen to know why these Iranian flights have a "sky marshal"? Are they on every flight? I guess it's similar to a U.S. air marshal except their identities aren't kept secret!

Hi MHTripple7,

It is more or less the same as US airlines. In the Middle East, they were more common, but now the likes of RB, RJ, IR, W5 etc still have them.

Quoting N178UA (Reply 10):An excellent trip report Roni, no one can do better, to remember and write as much detail as you!

Many thanks Sam

Quoting MSS658 (Reply 11):Sorry to hear about the VISA problem in DXB but glad you made it after all.

Thanks Marc. I am definitely glad it worked out too!

Quoting AirAfreak (Reply 12):The very first thought of Lufthansa came to mind when I saw your seats, however, the warmth felt throughout your trip report brought be back to Mahan. And now I want Persian Food for dinner thanks to the meal photos!

Quoting UK_Dispatcher (Reply 14):Nice to read this report, as we don't see Mahan Air on here too often. I also flew the same B743 (EP-MND) earlier this year IKA-DXB, after arriving on the IR B74L from BOM. It is nice to get a B743 Combi, or indeed any B747 Classic these days.

Hi UK_Dispatcher,

That Combi was indeed a real treat! Saw it in DXB last weekend too.

Quoting UK_Dispatcher (Reply 14):Is there anywhere in Abu Dhabi that sells W5 tickets, since I noticed you bought yours in Dubai?

I do not know of any and i am assuming that there isn't. I thought maybe Kish Travels would be able to, but turned out they do not sell Mahan stock.

Quoting gabrielchew (Reply 15):Excellent rewport Roni! Mahan looks like a great airline - i'll havr to get on them one day. I'd love to visit Iran.

Quoting flightsimboy (Reply 16):Looks like I am replying to this trip report before the Iran Air trip prior to this.

Thanks flightsim!

Quoting flightsimboy (Reply 16):The year 40 is usually associated with maturity, and even this is your 40th, the level of maturity in all your reports have been consistent from the very start!!! But they are getting fewer and lesser than before, except with your comeback reports with this and the Iran Air one.

Haha.. they are getting less because i am more or less flying the same stuff

Quoting flightsimboy (Reply 16):Very nice uniforms!!! They are so very Etihad with that grey, but that biege colour I can't put my finger on right now. Interesting that not a strand of hair is showing, except for the FA on the left. The religious aspects of the uniform are in place yet nothing rigid like the uniforms on Iran Air, which automatically carries over from the traditions on the ground.

Quoting Carfield (Reply 17):I like Mahan Air's printed menus but Iran Air has a bit more interesting and elaborate catering. But the kebab dishes are very good.

I totally agree! Mahan's catering is definitely more commercial, whilst still good.

Quoting smi0006 (Reply 18):Why didn't you just show the US passport at the start? Seems like you did nothing more but flame the aggression and mood of this agent. Visa infringements are a very serious issue for airlines. Most government fine the airlines, generally about USD 5,000 per passenger more then 5 per flight and it jumps to USD 150,000. Airlines will generally pass the fine on to the ground handler too. And for a check-in agent with Dnata three or more visa infringements and your terminated. As groundstaff in MEL I would not have accepted you either until you showed me your US passport, I would have still been polite and courteous but 'the passenger said he would be okay' is not a good enough excuse for most managers. Otherwise all illegal immigrants would simply say that.

Hi smi0006,

I work for the industry and i am well aware of those rules and their implications. But considering that my passport wasn't checked on the outbound trip from KUL by the IR agents, it was only normal to assume the same would have happened here.

Besides, if you watch the news, you'll see why i wasn't too keen on flashing my US passport. Would it have been an issue? Probably not -and it wasn't anyways- but call me paranoid if you may

Quoting okapi (Reply 19):Hello Roni!
Another top notch report. Reading your TRs is always a pleasure and a very good surprise. Mahan sure nails it when it comes to customer service, no matter the difficulties they encounter to operate normally.
Two classics absolutely well maintained make it a happy and lucky trip. Thanks again for sharing it with us.

Guillaume

PS. Nice youtube channel. I'm now a subscriber Smile

Many thanks Guillaume! Glad you enjoyed and thanks for subscribing to my Youtube channel

Quoting burj (Reply 20):Would love to have seen the arguing...I do NOT envy the person who stands between you and a good flight experience!

LOL .. yea it wasn't a nice sight at all!

Quoting ojas (Reply 21):An excellent TR as usual (must have got used to this by now for sure!!!)

Haha thanks Ojas!

Quoting ojas (Reply 21):How did the incoming airline allow to board him either?

and another amazing report, thanks for posting! Great to see a report about Mahan Air, definitely a rare carrier here.

Quoting ronerone (Reply 1):Whilst we waited, a young gentleman had arrived on a Dubai flight and was apparently having issues with getting into Iran. His hand was chopped off, and he looked a little rough around the edges. Furthermore, there seemed to have been a language barrier between him -who only speaks Arabic- and the Iran Air agent who obviously did not speak Arabic. So who had to come in between them to translate? Yep, that's right, me!

It turned out he was a Jordanian passport holder trying to enter Iran for medical purposes and that his doctor, who was based in Shiraz, had assured him that he was able to get his visa on arrival. Of course that wasn't going to happen anytime soon so I had to spend about 30 minutes trying to get him and the Iran Air agent to come to terms for at least a simple solution; either buy a ticket back to Dubai, or stay in the transit hotel for 24 hours in hopes that the mysterious unreachable doctor in Shiraz was located. Not only was this guy's story so dodgy, but out of all the nationalities out there, he had to be Jordanian just around the time I was there!

Wow, what a story...

Quoting ronerone (Thread starter):Both of us selected he chicken, which was a simple chicken kabab dish that came with lemon butter sauce and the infamous saffron rice.

Ah, saffron rice, very nice. I enjoy that at home sometimes - made with Iranian saffron which I bought in Doha.

"Do you have a visa for Iran?"
"No. I will be in transit only as I have a connecting flight to Kuala Lumpur"
"But a Jordanian passport requires a visa to enter Malaysia, and also Iran sir."
"I have another passport, and I will be using that to enter Malaysia"

He made a phone call to the Mahan Air station manager, and informed him of the situation. Up until this time, I had completely refrained from showing my US passport, assuming that the process would be similar to how it was when I departed Kuala Lumpur.

But unfortunately, things took a dive for the absolute worst at this point. The unhelpful agent handed me the phone to speak to the Mahan Air agent who absolutely refused to let me in on the flight.

"Sir we will not take any responsibility to carry you without any visa. I am sorry"
"But…"*click*

With this direction, the agent took back SR103's boarding pass, handed back our passports and simply offloaded us from the flight. Here I was at Dubai International Airport, with a B747-300 parked right outside waiting to take me, yet this idiot was ripping our boarding passes apart and trashing them in the bin under his desk. I wasn't going to take this lying down.

After some yelling, screaming, and sweating relentlessly, he finally brushed me away -with all my fuming anger- by suggesting that we go down to the gate and have a word with the Mahan Air staff who would be in more of a position to help.

Arriving at Gate 117, I was still shaking with anger but I had to keep my cool in hopes these people can help us out. An Iranian Dnata agent takes to our turn and I explain the situation to her all over again.

"We have been offloaded from the flight because the agent thinks I need a transit visa for Iran"
"May I see your passport sir?"
"Here you go"
"But sir, this is a Jordanian passport and the problem is you need a visa to enter Malaysia"
"I have another passport that doesn't need a visa"
"Where is it?"
"I don't know if I need to show it to you?"
"Why?"

I flashed out my US passport to her, and then everything changed again.

"Ahhh sir you should have informed us!"
"Sorry, how can I?"
"Haha yes, I understand. Don't worry, we will put you back on the flight"

OMG, what a horrible situation. I'm glad you got your boarding pass in the end!